The invention also relates to a method for driving a capacitor in a semiconductor component, a capacitor voltage being applied to the capacitor electrodes.
Capacitors constitute basic components of semiconductor technology and may undertake various functions within a semiconductor component. In this case, two different operating modes, unipolar operation and bipolar operation, are essentially considered. In this case, unipolar operation is understood as meaning that a voltage having the same polarity but not necessarily the same amplitude is applied to the capacitor. Applying a DC voltage that has the same polarity and the same amplitude is thus a special form of unipolar operation. Bipolar operation is understood as meaning that a voltage having alternating polarity is applied.
Depending on the operating mode, capacitors that are operated in a unipolar manner are used, for example, to protect against current spikes within the semiconductor component, and bipolar capacitors are used to filter signals.
It is known that integrated capacitors have a limited lifetime which, in addition to various operating parameters such as temperature and the applied voltage, is directly associated with the thickness of the dielectric used.
It has been proven using experiments that particular dielectrics used in the semiconductor region have a longer lifetime during bipolar operation than during unipolar operation. Either a higher thickness of the dielectric or else a shorter lifetime must, therefore, be accepted for capacitors that are operated in a unipolar manner.